Subantarctic Discovery

Arrive in Dunedin, where you will be met by a representative of Aurora Expeditions and transferred with your fellowexpeditioners to your assigned pre-voyage hotel. If you are already in Dunedin, we ask you to make your way to yourhotel. This afternoon, visit the Aurora Expeditions hospitality desk in the lobby to collect your luggage tags. Pleaseclearly label the tags with your name and ship cabin number. Our team will confirm details regarding yourembarkation day, answer any questions and provide you with information on where to dine or purchase last minuteitems.That evening, enjoy light refreshments as you meet your fellow expeditioners at a Welcome Reception and Pre-Embarkation Briefing. Afterwards, enjoy your evening in New Zealand’s southernmost city. You may like to indulge ina meal at one of Dunedin’s fine restaurants, or perhaps enjoy a leisurely stroll along the picturesque Otago harbour.Assigned accommodation: To be advised

Clinging to the walls of the natural amphitheater at the west end of Otago Harbour, the South Island's second-largest city is enriched with inspiring nearby seascapes and wildlife. Because Dunedin is a university town, floods of students give the city a vitality far greater than its population of 122,000 might suggest. Its manageable size makes it easy to explore on foot—with the possible exception of Baldwin Street, the world's steepest residential street and home to the annual "gutbuster" race, in which people run up it, and the "Jaffa" race, in which people roll the namesake spherical chocolate candy down it.Dunedin, the Gaelic name for Edinburgh, was founded in 1848 by settlers of the Free Church of Scotland, a breakaway group from the Presbyterian Church. The city's Scottish roots are still visible; you'll find New Zealand's first and only (legal) whisky distillery, a statue of Scottish poet Robert Burns, and more kilts, sporrans, and gillies than you can shake a stick at! The Scottish settlers and local Māori came together in relative peace, but this wasn't true of the European whalers who were here three decades before, as places with names such as Murdering Beach illustrate.Dunedin has always had a reputation for the eccentric. Wearing no shoes and a big beard here marks a man as bohemian rather than destitute, and the residents wouldn't have it any other way. The University of Otago was the country's first university and has been drawing writers ever since its founding in 1871, most notably Janet Frame and the poet James K. Baxter. Dunedin also has a musical heritage, which blossomed into the "Dunedin Sound" of the 1970s and '80s.

This morning, enjoy breakfast and check-out. Please ensure your cabin luggage is fitted with cabin tags clearlylabelled with your name and cabin number. By 11.00 am, take your cabin luggage to hotel reception, prior to, or atcheck-out. Your luggage will be stored and transferred directly to the port for clearance, to be placed in your cabinahead of your arrival on board. Please keep any valuables or personal items with you throughout the day.Your morning is at leisure to explore Dunedin.Settle into your cabin, where each detail was designed with your comfort in mind. This luxurious vessel is yours toexplore! As we throw the lines and set sail, join your expedition team on deck before tucking into a delicious dinner,and toast to the voyage ahead.

Clinging to the walls of the natural amphitheater at the west end of Otago Harbour, the South Island's second-largest city is enriched with inspiring nearby seascapes and wildlife. Because Dunedin is a university town, floods of students give the city a vitality far greater than its population of 122,000 might suggest. Its manageable size makes it easy to explore on foot—with the possible exception of Baldwin Street, the world's steepest residential street and home to the annual "gutbuster" race, in which people run up it, and the "Jaffa" race, in which people roll the namesake spherical chocolate candy down it.Dunedin, the Gaelic name for Edinburgh, was founded in 1848 by settlers of the Free Church of Scotland, a breakaway group from the Presbyterian Church. The city's Scottish roots are still visible; you'll find New Zealand's first and only (legal) whisky distillery, a statue of Scottish poet Robert Burns, and more kilts, sporrans, and gillies than you can shake a stick at! The Scottish settlers and local Māori came together in relative peace, but this wasn't true of the European whalers who were here three decades before, as places with names such as Murdering Beach illustrate.Dunedin has always had a reputation for the eccentric. Wearing no shoes and a big beard here marks a man as bohemian rather than destitute, and the residents wouldn't have it any other way. The University of Otago was the country's first university and has been drawing writers ever since its founding in 1871, most notably Janet Frame and the poet James K. Baxter. Dunedin also has a musical heritage, which blossomed into the "Dunedin Sound" of the 1970s and '80s.

“Have a care for this island. Sanctuaries such as these are imperative. There is no song of Bellbird or Tui on themoon.” Olga Sansom, 1970. Past Curator, Southland Museum and Stewart IslanderStewart Island (Rakiura) is the northernmost of the New Zealand subantarctic islands and a sanctuary for many rareand endemic species. We plan to visit the quaint fishing village of Oban, the southernmost settlement in NewZealand, where humans are outnumbered by brown kiwis (southern tokoeka). As you wander along the beach, keepan eye out for blue penguins (korora) and yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho) waddling along the rocky coast, and NewZealand white-capped albatross soaring overhead.In the afternoon land on Ulva Island to experience New Zealand as it may have been centuries ago, before humansarrived. A series of successful pest eradication programs have made the island a sanctuary for endangered andendemic birds, including some 18 natives. Meander through cool forests of ferns, mosses and ancient conifers,where birdsong abounds. Scan the understorey for the elusive endemic South Island Rifleman (Tītipounamu),Yellowhead (Mohoua) and South Island Saddleback (Tieke).

Stewart Island is home to New Zealand's newest national park, Rakiura National Park. The third and most southerly of New Zealand's main islands, Stewart Island is separated from the South Island by the 24-km (15-miles) Foveaux Strait. Its original Māori name, Te Punga O Te Waka a Maui, means "the anchor stone of Maui's canoe." Māori mythology says the island's landmass held the god Maui's canoe secure while he and his crew raised the great fish—the North Island. Today the island is more commonly referred to by its other Māori name, Rakiura, which means "the land of the glowing skies." This refers to the spectacular sunrises and sunsets and to the southern lights, or aurora australis. The European name of Stewart Island dates back to 1809. It memorializes an officer William W. Stewart on an early sealing vessel, the Pegasus, who was the first to chart the island. The island covers some 1,700 square km (650 square miles). It measures about 75 km (46 miles) from north to south and about the same distance across at its widest point. On the coastline, sharp cliffs rise from a succession of sheltered bays and beaches. In the interior, forested hills rise gradually toward the west side of the island. Seals and penguins frequent the coast, and the island's prolific birdlife includes a number of species rarely seen in any other part of the country. In fact, this is the surest place to see a kiwi. The Stewart Island brown kiwi, or tokoeka, is the largest species of this kind of bird. Unlike their mainland cousins, these kiwis can be seen during the day as well as at night. It's a rare and amusing experience to watch these pear-shape birds scampering on a remote beach as they feed on sand hoppers and grubs. Māori have visited Stewart Island for centuries. Archaeologists' studies of 13th-century Māori middens (refuse heaps) indicate that the island was once a rich, seasonal resource for hunting, fishing, and gathering seafood. A commonly eaten delicacy at that time, the titi, also known as the muttonbird, still occasionally appears on menus. In the early 19th century, explorers, sealers, missionaries, and miners settled the island. They were followed by fishermen and sawmillers who established settlements around the edges of Paterson Inlet and Halfmoon and Horseshoe bays. In the 1920s Norwegians set up a whaling enterprise, and many descendants of these seafaring people remain. Fishing, aquaculture, and tourism are now the mainstays of the island's economy. Even by New Zealand standards, Stewart Island is remote, raw, and untouched. The appeal is its seclusion, its relaxed way of life, and its untouched quality. Stewart Island is not for everyone: if you must have shopping malls, casinos, or umbrella drinks on the beach, don't come here. Visitors should be prepared for the fact that Stewart Island can be chilly, windy, and rainy, even in the middle of summer.

Delight in the company of inquisitive cetaceans as you cruise the deep glacial sounds of Fiordland. Rug up and find aspot on deck as we wend our way through the many uninhabited islands scattered across the area. Bottlenosedolphins, playful fur seals and humpback whales are frequent visitors, and keen observers may be rewarded with arare sighting of the Fiordland crested penguin (tawaki).

The cluster of craggy islands and islets that make up the Snares is the most untouched of the antipodeansubantarctic groups. Despite their relative proximity to New Zealand’s South Island, the Snares have remained freefrom introduced land predators, making them an invaluable sanctuary for millions of shearwaters, petrels and otherseabirds.Rug up, hop into a Zodiac and experience the bustling coastline of the Snares from sea level. Keep watch for endemicSnares crested penguins and Buller’s albatross (toroa) with their distinctive black and yellow beaks. You may spot sealions dozing in grassy glades, or perhaps catch a glimpse of the tiny Snares Island tomtit flitting amongst tree daisies.Embrace the spirit of exploration as your expedition team designs your voyage from day to day, bringing decades ofexperience to selecting the ideal sites based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions and wildlife opportunities.

The Snares Islands, also known as ‘The Snares’ are the northernmost of New Zealand's subantarctic islands. The islands are totally uninhabited and land mammals were never introduced on the islands, so it is only inhabited by sea mammals, birds and flora. The area is among one of five subantarctic island groups forming the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands, designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

“Penguins were in thousands on the uprising cliffs, and from rookeries near and far came an incessant din . . .seabirds of many varieties gave warning of our near approach to their nests” Douglas Mawson, 1911.As they sailed towards Antarctica, Mawson and his men encountered ‘an exquisite scene’. Macquarie Island (knownaffectionately as Macca) rises steeply from the Southern Ocean in a series of emerald summits: a beautifully fierce,elemental landscape teeming with life.Keep your binoculars handy because this subantarctic refuge is home to 3.5 million breeding seabirds, including noless than four species of penguin! Alongside boisterous colonies of tuxedoed kings, charming gentoos, robustrockhoppers and endemic royal penguins, you’ll find three types of fur seals and a large proportion of the world’selephant seals. Layer up and head out on deck to experience the sound, sight (and smell!) as you approach one ofthe largest concentrations of life in the Southern Ocean.Remember to keep an eye out for Macca’s kelp forests—these remarkable underwater ecosystems are quitemesmerising as their fronds sway back and forth on the water’s surface.In addition to being a globally recognised and protected wildlife refuge, Macquarie Island played an important role inAntarctic history. It was here, in 1911, that five men disembarked Mawson’s Aurora and established a radio relaystation which would transmit the first communication from Antarctica to the outside world.

Macquarie Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its major geoconservation significance. It is the only island in the world that is entirely composed of oceanic crust and rocks from the mantel. The unique diversity of the island makes it a truly remarkable place to visit. Sand Bay is located on the east coast where you will find Royal and King Penguin rookeries as well as Southern Elephant Seals, and if the weather permits, you will have the opportunity to get closer on a Zodiac®.

“Penguins were in thousands on the uprising cliffs, and from rookeries near and far came an incessant din . . .seabirds of many varieties gave warning of our near approach to their nests” Douglas Mawson, 1911.As they sailed towards Antarctica, Mawson and his men encountered ‘an exquisite scene’. Macquarie Island (knownaffectionately as Macca) rises steeply from the Southern Ocean in a series of emerald summits: a beautifully fierce,elemental landscape teeming with life.Keep your binoculars handy because this subantarctic refuge is home to 3.5 million breeding seabirds, including noless than four species of penguin! Alongside boisterous colonies of tuxedoed kings, charming gentoos, robustrockhoppers and endemic royal penguins, you’ll find three types of fur seals and a large proportion of the world’selephant seals. Layer up and head out on deck to experience the sound, sight (and smell!) as you approach one ofthe largest concentrations of life in the Southern Ocean.Remember to keep an eye out for Macca’s kelp forests—these remarkable underwater ecosystems are quitemesmerising as their fronds sway back and forth on the water’s surface.In addition to being a globally recognised and protected wildlife refuge, Macquarie Island played an important role inAntarctic history. It was here, in 1911, that five men disembarked Mawson’s Aurora and established a radio relaystation which would transmit the first communication from Antarctica to the outside world.

Macquarie Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its major geoconservation significance. It is the only island in the world that is entirely composed of oceanic crust and rocks from the mantel. The unique diversity of the island makes it a truly remarkable place to visit. Sand Bay is located on the east coast where you will find Royal and King Penguin rookeries as well as Southern Elephant Seals, and if the weather permits, you will have the opportunity to get closer on a Zodiac®.

First visited by Māori navigators centuries ago, these islands are of great significance to Ngāi Tahu, the indigenous peoples of New Zealand’s South Island. Their natural beauty and astonishing biodiversity have now been recognised globally, but few have had the privilege to visit these far-flung shores, which are now yours to explore.Auckland Islands (Maungahuka / Motu Maha)Born of fire, scoured by ancient glaciers and shaped by the fierce hand of the Southern Ocean, there is an exquisite ruggedness to this group of weather-worn islands. This apparent bleakness belies the extraordinary abundance of life that thrives here. Roughly half of the world’s yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho), most of the world’s white-capped mollymawks, and the entire population of Auckland Islands wandering albatross find shelter on these shores. Embrace the spirit of exploration as your expedition team designs your voyage from day to day, bringing decades of experience to selecting ideal sites based on the prevailing conditions and wildlife opportunities.

Sandy Bay is home to a breeding colony of rare New Zealand (Hooker’s) sea lions and an enchanting rātā forest where yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho) make their nests.

Carnley Harbour offers superb Zodiac cruising through a landscape rich in human history. In 1864, five men became stranded here after their schooner, the Grafton, was wrecked, putting a sudden end to their sealing and tin prospecting ambitions. We hope to see the skeletal remnants of the Grafton, and the moss-covered remains of the Epigwaitt Hut, where they sheltered for 20 months.

Victoria Passage is a lively channel separating Auckland Island from the mountainous Adams Island to the south. We may Zodiac cruise these scenic waters, watching for sooty shearwaters, penguins and sea-lions frolicking in the pure waters.

Wind and weather permitting, we will Zodiac cruise sheltered harbours and coves in search of Campbell Island snipes and teals, yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho), and New Zealand (Hooker’s) sea lions (whakahao). We hope to land at Beeman Cove, Perseverance Harbour, where an old meteorological station stands vigil on the windswept shoreline. Follow a boardwalk through tussock and upland tundra, then enter an otherworldly landscape where large-leaved megaherbs abound. Wonder at the Ross Lily, Campbell Island Daisy and Campbell Island carrot, whose brilliant flowers would look more at home in the tropics than these southern climes. Continue towards the nesting grounds of majestic southern royal albatross, whose wingspans can exceed three metres (10 feet). It is truly humbling to be in the presence of these great wanderers of the southern seas. Find a spot to quietly observe these marvellous birds as they go about their daily duties, undisturbed by their human visitors.

The Campbell Islands are a group of subantarctic islands in New Zealand. Known for its rich flora display, Campbell Islands are overflowing with megaherbs, herbaceous, perennial wildflowers which are recognised for their great size, colourful flowers and large leaves. The islands are furthermore home to some rare, and critically endangered birds including the Campbell Island teal and snipe. Enjoy a guided walk on the Col Lyell Saddle boardwalk and head out on the Zodiac for a unique tour around the coastline of Perseverance Harbour.

After breakfast, farewell your expedition team and fellow passengers as we all continue our onward journeys,hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature.Note: At the conclusion of the voyage, we do not recommend booking flights departing prior to 12.00 pm on the dayof disembarkation in case there are delays.

Clinging to the walls of the natural amphitheater at the west end of Otago Harbour, the South Island's second-largest city is enriched with inspiring nearby seascapes and wildlife. Because Dunedin is a university town, floods of students give the city a vitality far greater than its population of 122,000 might suggest. Its manageable size makes it easy to explore on foot—with the possible exception of Baldwin Street, the world's steepest residential street and home to the annual "gutbuster" race, in which people run up it, and the "Jaffa" race, in which people roll the namesake spherical chocolate candy down it.Dunedin, the Gaelic name for Edinburgh, was founded in 1848 by settlers of the Free Church of Scotland, a breakaway group from the Presbyterian Church. The city's Scottish roots are still visible; you'll find New Zealand's first and only (legal) whisky distillery, a statue of Scottish poet Robert Burns, and more kilts, sporrans, and gillies than you can shake a stick at! The Scottish settlers and local Māori came together in relative peace, but this wasn't true of the European whalers who were here three decades before, as places with names such as Murdering Beach illustrate.Dunedin has always had a reputation for the eccentric. Wearing no shoes and a big beard here marks a man as bohemian rather than destitute, and the residents wouldn't have it any other way. The University of Otago was the country's first university and has been drawing writers ever since its founding in 1871, most notably Janet Frame and the poet James K. Baxter. Dunedin also has a musical heritage, which blossomed into the "Dunedin Sound" of the 1970s and '80s.